Loyal reader David-Paul Gerber captured some outstanding photos of the “Barge of Death”, Weeks 297, which carries retired subway cars out to sea to be dumped to create artificial reefs. He took photos of the barge as it passed between the Broadway, Henry Hudson, and Inwood Movable Bridges, and then again as it passed the George Washington Bridge.
Click HERE to view all of his photos, or click on some of the highlights below.
Thanks David!
The barge passed Spuyten Duyvil at about 2:30 PM. About two hours later it was followed out to the Hudson River by the barge carrying the subway car wheel assemblies or “trucks”.
And this was Barge 18 (the 18th barge to set sail in the current round of reefing), for those of you keeping score at home. Thanks to George Chiasson Jr. for that information.
Where are they loaded onto the barge? Somewhere on the A in Jamaica Bay?
They are loaded onto the barge next to the 207 Street Yard in upper Manhattan. The barge sits in the Harlem River. Here is a photo:
You know, they really should auction those off to hobbyists to make some extra money so they can make good service.
They do already sell to hobbyists a lot of the individual parts that they salvage from the cars before they are loaded onto the barge. Here’s a link: Memorabilia & Collectibles
As far as the car bodies, turning them over for any other use would most likely mean that the asbestos would need to be abated, and that’s a very costly process.